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They finally did this re-alignment overnight. The IMG hasn't been updated (guide was updated as of ~noon) on the VZ box, and my TiVo doesn't have data either, although the channel map has updated and they can be added manually. I put a lineup change request on the TiVo website.

If anyone in Howard/AA counties lost the postcard, the changes are:

SD
WRC from 4 to 16
WTTG from 5 to 17
WJLA from 7 to 18
WUSA from 9 to 19
WMDO from 21 to 24
UNI from 20 to 21
WUTB from 24 to 9

HD

WRC from 504 to 516
WTTG from 505 to 517
WJLA from 507 to 518
WUSA from 509 to 519
WUTB from 524 to 509

Since the channels are virtual, it all seems pointless, but it has happened!

Got this in the mail today for Montgomery County - the digtal transition (elimination of analog channels) will finally begin on November 30 (15 analog channels deleted) with the second phase about 35 days later (January 6) when an additional 21 analog channels will be deleted. So after the transition only analog channels 2 through 34 will be available. On December 12th we will be getting 48 new HD channels.

Based on this Comcast should have room after January 6 to add a lot more channels.

I was home sick today and thanks to the rain had a most miserable experience trying to watch TV. In fairness, I think my house grounding rod may need to be replaced which is probably MOST of the problem with the rain, but still. It was so frustrating trying to watch the US Open coverage on either 9 or 13, that I've had it.

I ordered the FiOS "Local TV" package and I'm now out of this game. VHF sucks and I'm done trying. Fall season starts in a week, and I absolutely have to have good recordings to send my lovely wife who's in Germany for the next YEAR patching up our injured servicemen and servicewomen. No CBS at all that works during inclement weather is just not an acceptable situation.

I still get to keep one antenna to pick up the slack with missing FiOS channels from D.C. (20, 50, 66), so my fun isn't completely over, but still ... I've had enough. Those channels are easy.

Thank you all for your assistance and time lately, but I'm probably going to just fade away into hard-wired obliviousness here. LOL. Oh, and if you'll forgive me ... SCREW VHF.

Got this in the mail today for Montgomery County - the digtal transition (elimination of analog channels) will finally begin on November 30 (15 analog channels deleted) with the second phase about 35 days later (January 6) when an additional 21 analog channels will be deleted. So after the transition only analog channels 2 through 34 will be available. On December 12th we will be getting 48 new HD channels.

Based on this Comcast should have room after January 6 to add a lot more channels.

I got the same mailing -- great news. I just wish the switch were happening faster, so I could see more hockey, football, basketball, and baseball in HD this fall.

I also noticed that we're getting MGM HD (new) and TCM HD. Great news for movie buffs.

I did the best I could for almost 2 years now my friend, I was just pushed over the edge today. To be honest, the biggest selling points were that they would have it installed next Sunday (24 hours before the season starts!), I'm quintupling my Internet speed (is 3Mb/s, will be 15Mb/s) and most importantly ... when you add phone/15-5 data and Local TV together, it's CHEAPER than we're paying them now for just phone+DSL. You can't compete with that. Local TV is 100% ClearQAM, so all I need to do it plug it into what I've got going now, set up the TVs and Media Center for QAM instead of ATSC and I'm done.

I'm actually looking forward to this, from the hobbyist perspective, after thinking about it a bit more. Consider the freedom I'll suddenly have! I can go mess with whatever I want to mess with OTA, and there is no timeline anymore. No need to have it all working again by 8:00pm. I can totally try for Philly or Delmarva channels now. Goodness knows I have the equipment, it's just not pointed in the right direction.

If there's any regret, it's that I won't have the complete 2-city setup working anymore and I can't give you TSReader reports anymore. That was really fun for me I'll still be able to hook you up with stats from 4 (48), 5 (36), 20 (35), 32 (33), 50, and 66 (34) from the antenna that I intend to keep at this point, though [42XG + CM7777]. Those are the only channels that particular aerial gets 99-100% from the location I happen to have it :-)

I really do believe that I'll have MORE fun now in the end since that whole "has to work" restriction will be gone. It was $12.99/mo, you can't blame me, right?? Don't think badly of me!!! heh.

I was home sick today and thanks to the rain had a most miserable experience trying to watch TV.

It was so frustrating trying to watch the US Open coverage on either 9 or 13, that I've had it.

I am in Columbia, and I am seeing the same issues as you are. Granted, I don't watch TV much since we turned off Fios and moved to an antenna (about 6 weeks ago), but this is the first time I've seen this issue. I've lost 9, 11 and 13 this morning, which is annoying only because my kids like to watch the CBS Saturday cartoons.

I've got a ChannelMaster 4228HD on the roof pointed toward DC. Because of my nearly in-line location between DC and Baltimore, the backside of it picks up all my Baltimore stations, and it has been working flawlessly up until today.

In your opinion, is there any OTA solution for me? Would an amplifier be of any use at all?

I've learned that there are three things not to discuss with other people: Religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.

In your opinion, is there any OTA solution for me? Would an amplifier be of any use at all?

Unfortunately an amplifier will probably make things worse. The best solution is to augment the 4228 with a VHF-HI antenna. Combine the 2 antennas using a UVSJ, and you should get 7,9,11,& 13 (possibly 8) with the antenna pointed towards DC.

I look at the list of new HD channels on Comcast in Montgomery County and I want to cry. We in Arlington (and Alexandria) have Scientific Atlanta equipment, which means no DTA's, which means no analog migration, which means no new HD channels for probably the next year. And Fios is widely available in Arlington (but not in my apartment) so I don't know why they are so slow or don't seem to care about the competition. Make sure when they add those new channels, you give us a full report so us Arlingtonians can dream!

Got this in the mail today for Montgomery County - the digtal transition (elimination of analog channels) will finally begin on November 30 (15 analog channels deleted) with the second phase about 35 days later (January 6) when an additional 21 analog channels will be deleted. So after the transition only analog channels 2 through 34 will be available. On December 12th we will be getting 48 new HD channels.

Based on this Comcast should have room after January 6 to add a lot more channels.

I haven't gotten the info in the mail yet.
Those listed as going digital are already available via QAM tuner without a box. Will they still be available as such? If they decide to block them, and require an upgraded subscription, I'll cancel my cable.
J

I live in downtown Baltimore and am thinking of the buying the Terk HDTVa antenna (maybe even the ss-3000). Has anyone had experience with this antenna in the city area? I only really care about getting abc, nbc, cbs, fox and possibly pbs. What antennas have people used in the city and how have they been? Will my qam tuner be able to pick these up if the antenna works fine?

Please report your opinion after you have the Local Option in service. I find that Fios Local for my address includes a total of 66 channels for $12.99/month. I think I would be interested in at least 40 of these channels, and 9 are listed as HD.

I live in downtown Baltimore and am thinking of the buying the Terk HDTVa antenna (maybe even the ss-3000). Has anyone had experience with this antenna in the city area? I only really care about getting abc, nbc, cbs, fox and possibly pbs. What antennas have people used in the city and how have they been? Will my qam tuner be able to pick these up if the antenna works fine?

Thanks for any help, it would be much appreciated.

** forgot to ask -- are these channels broadcast in hd?

I have the cheapest Wal-Mart antenna in my office across from Mercy Hosp. and get all of those channels. (Yes, they all carry HD programming.) I am on the West side of the 14th floor but a few feet away from a window, with multiple A/C chillers and and ducts on the roof next door, between me & TV hill.

I was home sick today and thanks to the rain had a most miserable experience trying to watch TV. In fairness, I think my house grounding rod may need to be replaced which is probably MOST of the problem with the rain, but still. It was so frustrating trying to watch the US Open coverage on either 9 or 13, that I've had it.

I ordered the FiOS "Local TV" package and I'm now out of this game. VHF sucks and I'm done trying. Fall season starts in a week, and I absolutely have to have good recordings to send my lovely wife who's in Germany for the next YEAR patching up our injured servicemen and servicewomen. No CBS at all that works during inclement weather is just not an acceptable situation.

I still get to keep one antenna to pick up the slack with missing FiOS channels from D.C. (20, 50, 66), so my fun isn't completely over, but still ... I've had enough. Those channels are easy.

Thank you all for your assistance and time lately, but I'm probably going to just fade away into hard-wired obliviousness here. LOL. Oh, and if you'll forgive me ... SCREW VHF.

unfortunately i went over to the dark side also, being up in harford county out in the woods i took it all hook line and sinker. one consolation i get to watch my beloved gators football.

My Sony SXRD has a cable card slot. Comcast tried twice to install one for me, but couldn't get it to work properly. I told them to forget it. Cable companies HATE cable cards. I've got cable going straight to my set. Luckily, I never opted for premium channels, so I got could bypass a box.
J

Given that the Cablecos were dragged kicking and screaming into supporting cablecards at all; I'm shocked, just shocked, that they wouldn't couldn't make them work. A friend had that issue with Brighthouse but persisted until they fixed all their internal issues...

But here's a related question: How can you tell which channels you'll be able to get with a direct connection and which you can't? This if RCN would be the cableco.

Given that the Cablecos were dragged kicking and screaming into supporting cablecards at all; I'm shocked, just shocked, that they wouldn't couldn't make them work. A friend had that issue with Brighthouse but persisted until they fixed all their internal issues...

But here's a related question: How can you tell which channels you'll be able to get with a direct connection and which you can't? This if RCN would be the cableco.

It turned out, that I didn't need a cable card-I just wanted the locals in HD, and they didn't say that they were QAM available.
You just have to do a scan, and see what turns up. I don't know if you can get premium channels via QAM since I only pay for expanded basic. The placement is somewhat random, so it helps to bookmark the channels, or put them on you favorites list. I do get TNT-HD and Universal-HD. I used to get random VOD, but they plugged that leak. That's fine, since usually all I ever got was either kid's shows or porn.
J

I was attempting to watch the Ravens game yesterday over the air on WJZ and having trouble when I noticed that one ear of the antenna still had a couple of inches to come out. To my surprise that made all the difference.

Given that the Cablecos were dragged kicking and screaming into supporting cablecards at all; I'm shocked, just shocked, that they wouldn't couldn't make them work. A friend had that issue with Brighthouse but persisted until they fixed all their internal issues...

But here's a related question: How can you tell which channels you'll be able to get with a direct connection and which you can't? This if RCN would be the cableco.

You should get what you pay for; except no on demand and guide etc.

For COMCAST Montgormery County I was getting a different set of channels on two of my cable card tvs. PITA to get a technician out and check out the cable card on the one set as to why some of my premiums weren't coming in; but after that visit I was still missing some. Turns out they didn't have correct subscription information for me in the central database tied to the card in that TV. And the standard help techs can't fix it; you have to get to another level of help if you have problems. But they have to fix it; in my case no charge for the house visit but I had to take off and be home.

One problem with cable cards is that since there is no guide, people like me tend to hide the unsubscribed channels to minimize hassle when surfing channels. So when new channels are added you won't see these if you have them hidden for surfing convenience.